After Liverpool's Sadio Mané cancelled out Karim Benzema's opener for Real Madrid, two goals from man of the match Gareth Bale proved the difference in a 3–1 win for the Spaniards, making them the first team to win three back-to-back titles in the Champions League era and the first since Bayern Munich defeated Saint-Étienne in the 1976 European Cup final; it was additionally their fourth title in five seasons and their 13th European Cup overall.

[9] The NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium was announced as the final venue on 15 September 2016, following the decision of the UEFA Executive Committee meeting in Athens, Greece.

[15] The stadium was used as a venue in the 1980 Summer Olympics for its football event and the aforementioned European Championship,[16] including the final match, which saw Spain beat Italy by the record-breaking score of 4–0 on the way to their third title.

[17] Its current capacity is 70,050 and it is used by the Ukraine national football team, Dynamo Kyiv, and major domestic matches like the Ukrainian Cup.

[18][19] Defending champions Real Madrid reached a record 16th final after a 4–3 aggregate win against German side Bayern Munich, knocking them out of the competition for the second consecutive season.

Real Madrid are only the third team since the competition's rebranding as the Champions League to reach three consecutive finals after Milan in 1995 and Juventus in 1998.

The remaining tickets were allocated to the local organising committee, UEFA and national associations, commercial partners and broadcasters, and to serve the corporate hospitality programme.

[27][28] English singer Dua Lipa performed at the opening ceremony preceding the final, by singing multiple songs (made by her) including her famous "One Kiss" and the fan-favorite "No Lie".

[34] In late May, The New York Times reported that some fans with allocated tickets had returned them after having trouble finding flights to and accommodation in Kyiv.

In the 51st minute, Benzema scored the match's first goal by deflecting a throw by Liverpool goalkeeper Loris Karius back into the net.

Liverpool equalised four minutes later with a tap-in by Sadio Mané, who finished a header by Dejan Lovren after a corner kick by James Milner from the right.

Ronaldo had a chance to score his first goal of the match during a counter-attack in the 73rd minute, but was tackled by Liverpool defender Andrew Robertson in the penalty box.

Real Madrid became the first team since Bayern Munich in 1974–76 to win three consecutive UEFA Champions Leagues or European Cups.

[51] Cristiano Ronaldo became the first player to win the Champions League five times, surpassing the record set by Clarence Seedorf in 2007 and by Andrés Iniesta in 2015.

[40][55] Sergio Ramos's tackle on Mohamed Salah received mixed reactions from the press and fans on whether the injury was the result of a deliberate blow or an accident.

[44] After the match, Loris Karius tearfully apologised to Liverpool supporters who remained in the stands and stated that his mistakes "lost the team the final".